Final Fantasy 5
by LilithArtist
Summary: After the winds fell silent and a meteorite has crashed, childhood friends Bartz, Maud and Jules are brought together along with a princess to investigate what went wrong. Then when an old man, two pirates, a girl, a hunter and a moogle join the ragtag band of misfits, they learn something more sinister is at work and the four crystals are connected to this.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Lilith here.**

**And this is the beginning of my take on Final Fantasy 5, one of those games in the main series that took so freaking long to reach the West. But I'd bet it was worth it.**

**Now, I'm gonna give a fair warning to any readers coming into this that there are going to be original characters, and without giving too much away, there's gonna some with traits that might raise a few eyebrows.**

**Anyway, since this is my first time tapping into FF5, please don't be hard on me about this story. I'll happily take compliments or constructive reviews, but rudeness is not tolerable in my book.**

**So without further ado, please enjoy the intro!**

**I own nothing of Final Fantasy 5 except my OCs.**

**Read, leave a review, but flames are not allowed at all.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Disturbance

_Fire_

_Water_

_Wind_

_Earth_

_The peace and prosperity of the world is thanks to the power of the crystals. However…that power is nearing its limit._

_Not far off is the day when the wind slows…the water stills…and the earth trembles and quakes…and yet, everyone remains blissfully unaware…and the grave secret hidden within the crystals remains untold._

* * *

The new morning, at first glance, appeared to be as peaceful as it can be in the prosperous city of Tycoon. But for its king, Alexander Highwind Tycoon, he can't shake off the feeling that something in the world is not right. Ever since he greeted the morning light, he noticed an unsettling change in the winds – not that he was sensing a storm, but rather there's something in the winds that felt disturbed by an unknown presence. It's almost as though an unnatural force is throttling the air, cutting off the flow of the sky's breath until the sky itself has drawn its last gasp of air. Has something happened to disrupt the force of nature that has both embraced and challenged mankind at every fickle turn?

It would seem so, as he heard the unnerving cry of the drake that stands perched atop the castle balcony looking over the kingdom. Perhaps the beloved beast also senses the disturbing change in the elements. Some animals in the world are said to be more in tune with nature than man could ever dream to be according to scholars.

He really didn't want to leave his kingdom so suddenly, let alone his daughter who he loves very dearly. But he can't afford to ignore the warnings right in front of him. He must depart quickly to get to the bottom of the unexplained changes, if only to understand what has gone wrong with the sacred crystal valued by the world. As king, it is his responsibility to ascertain the dangers and prepare accordingly in order to protect his people in any way possible. If the Wind Crystal is in peril, then everyone in Tycoon could be endangered as well…

"Father!"

The concerned call of his daughter quickly caught his attention as he turned to find her meeting him atop the castle walls. A young lady of nineteen, his daughter – Lenna Charlotte Tycoon – has blond hair hanging slightly past her shoulders with light skin and aqua blue eyes; she is in her nightdress with her robe barely tied securely by a long sash, as she had apparently woken up due to the cry of the drake sounding off from outside the castle terrace.

"Do you really have to go?" Lenna asked worriedly.

"You know I do, dear," he told her, "I need you to protect the castle. Under no circumstances are you to follow me, do you understand?"

"But Father…" she started to protest.

But she couldn't find the words to express how unhappy she feels about her father leaving the kingdom alone and she hung her head in shame. He didn't have to guess she is concerned about what might happen if he departed and failed to return home like he always did. As he placed his hand on her shoulder, Lenna looked up at him, greeting his gentle but stern face as he explained to her what the situation is.

"Something is wrong with the wind…" he explained, "I must go to the Wind Shrine to make certain nothing's happened to the crystal."

She nodded nervously. "Yes…I've noticed it as well. But, to go alone is –"

"Lenna, don't worry," he gently reassured her, "I'll be fine. Have faith."

Although she still held worry in her heart, Lenna gave a nod in agreement, which put the king at ease. As he made his way to the dragon, he took one last look at his daughter as she watched him go. He then pulled down the visor from the crown over his eyes, and mounted atop the back of their family's wind drake. With a shrill cry and a mighty flap of its wings, the beast and its rider soared off through the skies away from the kingdom into the lands beyond. Lenna gave a wave of farewell as she watched her father disappear from sight.

* * *

Out in the open seas, a pirate ship travels defiantly with the tides that fluidly rush along with the winds. The salty waters crashed against the wooden planks as the scruffy crew of dubious sailors worked their hardest to steady the ship and stay alert while riding the treacherous tides. At the front deck of the ship, the fiery captain gazed across the horizon while the winds brushed the skin and hair like an invisible mercurial lover, and not far behind is the fellow first mate barking out orders around the ship as the crew worked hard fast to ensure no harsh words spew out of the mouths of their captain or the first mate. The sails are struck with ferocious opposition by the untamable gales while the wood creaked and moaned from the pressure exerted against the forces of nature the sea-hardened crew continually oppose against all odds.

But then, as the captain approached the edge of the ship's front, something amiss suddenly happened. The winds, which have been guiding the ship across the wide watery territory beyond, abruptly came to a halt. The ship ceased to move, stranding it in the middle of the sea with nothing to move it along. This unprecedented moment quickly caught the attention of the crew as they looked between each other in surprise and confusion as to what happened. The first mate, sensing something might be disturbing the captain, made haste to approach in concern for whatever it is that would perturb their leader. No doubt everyone must've noticed this change right away and would've wanted to know what could possibly have gone wrong in the middle of their journey, especially given how the winds have been an essential force of nature to guide all who traverse beyond their boundaries for better or worse.

"Captain, what's wrong?" the first mate asked in concern.

The captain gave a simple answer in a puzzled tone of voice. "The wind just…stopped…"

The first mate went wide-eyed from shock. "What?!"

* * *

Surrounded by walls of stone with nary a light in the vicinity, an older man seats nestled in the center as he feels the violent vibrations reverberating throughout the area. Despite his location, he has sensed a great disturbance in the elemental forces, an imbalance so distressing that he had to find out what is the cause behind it. It grows stronger with each passing moment, and with one of the elements abruptly silenced, he dreaded to think of what caused the troublesome event to occur without anyone else knowing about it. The urgency, frankly, is increasing the longer he has to travel in this godforsaken place.

"I've got to hurry!" he said urgently to himself.

* * *

In the busy streets of the city of Tycoon, a large decorated merchant's wagon gently rolled its way across the cobblestone roads, pulled by two chocobos under the guidance of a well-dressed middle-aged man. Riding inside the wagon are two young adults – young man and woman - relaxing quietly under the shelter of the wooden canvas and casually enjoying the bustling environment of the peaceful city life. Some of the townsfolk would momentarily glance at the beautiful wagon passing by with curiosity as to what's in store, while other passersby would greet the driver warmly as they walk by and be warmly reciprocated by him in kind. Today must be the perfect day for friendly faces to emerge from their comfort zones and enjoy the pleasant weather while they can.

As the talkative crowds of merchants and customers filled all corners of the marketplace to investigate the goods of the trade that can presented in the public eye, everything went along as they always did on days when merchants are trying to increase interest in their clients and people of all ages search fervently for anything they can present for their loved ones or their own personal interests.

But inside the market stall storage room of the visiting merchant, the young lady was in the middle of helping unpack the precious cargo when she abruptly stopped in her tracks. Her hands trembled ceaselessly as the small box rattled along with the contents inside. Vague visions danced within her psyche, forewarning of ill tidings momentarily indiscernible. Before long, a pain in her head disrupted her focus hard enough to cause the items to slip out of her hands and crash to the floor below, forcing her to grasp the table for support. The noise quickly caught the attention of the young man working with her, prompting him to stop his chore and hurry to aid and investigate what is disturbing her today of all days.

"Maud, sister, are you okay?" he asked her in concern, "What's bothering you?"

With a shaky breath, she gave a disturbing answer. "Jules…something's wrong in the world. I can't sense the presence of the winds."

Her brother at first didn't understand what she meant, but when he looked outside at the marketplace, he noticed right away the draperies above the stalls suddenly stopped fluttering. In fact, any hair or clothes that would've been caught by a breeze and play around no longer moved. To him, it's visible evidence his sister is right. What he isn't sure about, though, is what exactly is going wrong in the world…

* * *

Not long after her father had left the castle atop their family's beloved drake, Lenna quickly sensed something is horribly wrong. Where she once felt winds while her father rode the drake, she now can't feel the invisible element brushing against her face or dance in her hair. She could feel no winds whatsoever. It made her worry more and more.

"The wind's stopped… Father!" she squeaked in fear.

Now she can no longer restrain herself. She had to find out what's wrong posthaste. Knowing her situation, her family's loyal retainers, especially the chancellor (who has served her father for many years), would never allow her to venture outside of Tycoon on her own without a proper escort. It seems, for once, she'll have to take matters into her own hands and head outside of the castle by herself and find out whether her father made it to the Wind Shrine or not. If she has to sneak out of here to do so, then she'll have to do just that.

Following her impulse against her better judgment, Lenna hurried back to her bedchambers to change out of her nightclothes and find something suitable she can wear while she's outside, something more manageable so she can make faster progress before anybody suspects what's going on and question where she is. First, she placed up her hair up, holding it in place with a pin, and then she dressed herself in a yellow leotard with sheer sleeves that draped her shoulders with at least two sashes tied around her waist, and slipped on gold heeled shoes.

As she finished, she stopped a moment to look down at the medallion worn around her neck before she hurried out the door, hoping she can disappear before anyone finds out.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Wind Shrine far off from the kingdom, Alexander hastened up the stairs leading to the great doors of the chamber where the Wind Crystal has been held for safekeeping for many years. With what strength he still has at his age, he forced the doors open wide as he hastily entered the chamber. What beheld him confirmed his worst fears: the dearly revered and magnificent Wind Crystal's illustrious green colors have begun to dim and its radiant light faltered fast akin to an elderly living being losing grip on life. But while the truth is right in front of him, the good king couldn't understand what is really happening to the Crystal, or how it's happening for that matter.

"What in blazes…!?" he exclaimed in shock.

As the light of the Wind Crystal disappeared to the point of the stone itself being reduced to a dully dimmed green stone, the relic suddenly cracked all over and shattered into many pieces, leaving nothing left of what once stood there.

At the same time the Crystal broke apart, a strong blinding light that manifested from the shattering of the stone filled the room, blinding the king's eyes as he struggled to stand his ground against the powerful force pushing him towards the walls of the chamber by the shrine door…

* * *

Far from civilization, in a deep wooded forest filled with majestic trees of great sizes and flowery shrubbery scattered across the area, a young man and his chocobo companion are settled close to a comforting campfire in the middle of the dawning hours inside a clearing in the middle of the forest. The wildlife is peaceful at this time as birds chirped jovially somewhere in the branches of the trees and the skies, no dangerous creature in sight to threaten their peace, and the smallest insects danced along the trees and flowers. For the duo enjoying a relaxing reprieve, it's almost as though nothing can disrupt the harmony they are living in.

"Well, Boko, it's almost time to move along," the young man said casually, "I wonder where we can go for today. Hopefully there's a spot I can start fishing again."

His chocobo, Boko, let out a squawk of suspicion. "Kweh! Kweh."

He gave a playful pout at his feathered friend. "Aw, c'mon! You know there are some plants I can't eat like you can, buddy. I have to find something else sometime. I know someone who once told me so when I was smaller."

"Kweh? Kweh…" Boko squawked almost sadly.

The young man nodded. "Yeah, I know, Boko. You miss being around the Thorsons, right? If it helps, I kinda miss them, too. I hope Dimitri's getting by, especially Jules and Maud…"

However, as the young man's mind wandered off on bygone days, he unwittingly went oblivious to the disturbances stretching across the sky, not realizing the air has gone quiet so soon. For a moment, Boko looked up to the sky as though silently sensing something may be amiss.

* * *

It amazed Lenna how none of the townspeople paid any notice their beloved princess is in a rush outside of the safety of the castle. But then again, it must be one of Tycoon's busiest days, so it may be possible that they haven't even noticed anything out of the ordinary right now. But how long can this last? Surely someone must've wondered if there's anything amiss in Tycoon or within the royal family. After all, her father left rather quickly for the Wind Shrine to investigate the condition of the sacred relic, so someone must've seen the drake flying overhead, unless the overflow of the markets prevented anyone from looking up into the sky.

But if there's one thing even she should've known better about, it's that she also has to exercise her attentiveness while she's out in public. As she searched for a path out of town, she didn't pay attention to where she was going and abruptly bumped against something that let out a startled noise at the unexpected impact. Before she knew it, she nearly found herself falling to the ground when she felt a hand reach out and catch before her face hit the cobblestones.

"Whoa, that was close!" a young man's voice breathed in relief, "Didn't your parents ever tell you to pay attention to your surroundings in crowded places?"

Curious as to who saved her from having an accident (and chastised her a bit), Lenna turned to find herself being held carefully by a young man taller than herself. She can tell from the quality of his clothes he comes from a well-off family.

He is a tall but averagely built young adult in his early twenties with short, wavy amber hair and lightly tanned skin complemented by his blue eyes and decorated by freckles dotted around the right side of his facial cheek. He is dressed in a mid-collared, quarter-sleeved pink shirt with embroidered turquoise silk pants and an asymmetrical buttoned tea-green waistcoat; on his feet he wore short brown leather boots tightly laced, and on his head he wore a small light-green fedora decorated with colorful feathers.

Feeling embarrassed at the scene she made, Lenna stammered, "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother you, but I'm in a hurry. I have to find my father…"

A curious look crossed the man's face. "Your father? Did he go somewhere in a hurry?"

"He left for the Wind Shrine hours ago," she explained hurriedly, "I have to go find him, make sure he's alright."

She couldn't believe she had to tell a complete stranger what she's doing by herself, but she couldn't help it since she's full of worry for her father. She felt sure this man would either laugh her off or would think she's lost her mind. But that's not what happened here.

"Well, does anyone else know where you're going?" he asked her. When she shook her head 'no' in answer to his question, he went wide-eyed from disbelief. "You seriously ran out without seeking help? We need to rectify that problem right away. I mean, I wouldn't want the thought of a pretty lady wandering off alone in danger weighing on my conscience."

"Oh, no, I don't want to trouble you –" She tried to decline politely.

"Nah, it's no big trouble at all. My sister and I can join you, see you there safely," he interrupted casually as he led her to the nearest market stall, "I'm sure our Pa wouldn't mind us leaving a while to lend a little help. Besides, we've always been told that there's no wrong in helping someone in need."

The market stall this jovial stranger led the princess into is nothing too big or extravagant compared to many of the others she had visited with her father on occasion in the past, but it's large enough to hold a nice variety of goods, many of them of solid quality ranging from eye-catching jewelry pieces to meticulously crafted selections of household wares from different parts of the world. At the helm of the operations is a well-dressed elder man assisted by a young woman noticed to be starkly different from him and the young man handling the business on their own.

The elderly man appeared to be somewhere in his fifties with shoulder-length, wavy amber hair and light peachy skin complemented by blue eyes that ignore the small traces of wrinkles forming around the eyelids. He is dressed in an ankle-length, long-sleeved dark blue tunic with gold trimmings around the edges and maroon silk leggings held together by a leather belt around the waist; on his head he wore a moss-green feathered beret, and on his feet he wore brown leather shoes laced firmly in place.

The young woman is nearly Lenna's height with shoulder-length black hair and light pale skin. She dressed in a high-collared, long-sleeved grey blouse and a long purple skirt with blue frills barely hiding a black underskirt held together by a black buckled corset; she wore a bell-sleeved indigo jacket over her blouse held by a gold brooch bearing a pink gem shaped like an eye, and buckled leather boots on her feet. However, what struck Lenna as odd is that the young woman is also wearing something like a silver crown, thoroughly concealing her eyes from sight. It made her wonder why an otherwise healthy-looking person would wear such thing unless there's something to hide…

"Hey, Pa! I got a lady here who needs a spot of help," the young man called enthusiastically.

Upon hearing the call, the elder man turned his attention away from his wares and gave off a kind, inviting smile that isn't forced like other people would do while interacting with people in public.

"Well, is that correct, Jules?" he asked, "And who is the damsel in distress this time around?"

This man, now identified as Jules, replied nonchalantly, "Well, she said she's got a father that went to a shrine or something and didn't come back."

That tidbit of information quickly caught the attention of the young woman listening to the whole debacle as she stopped her work to approach Lenna intently, startling the already perplexed young lady in the process.

"Tell me, did you sense the ceasing of the winds, too?" the young woman asked.

Lenna nodded nervously. "Um, yes... It stopped after my father left for the Wind Shrine."

The woman shook her head grimly. "I was afraid of this… The loss of the winds can only mean something evil has silenced the source. The visions warned of it. But, sadly, I couldn't see what manner of evil is causing it."

Afterwards, the young lady turned away a moment, mumbling something to herself in so low a voice that she couldn't understand what she's talking about. Needless to say, poor Lenna had no idea just what this strange lady meant regarding visions and sensing something evil. How can someone foresee a troubling event as this earlier than everybody else can? She nearly had half a mind to ask questions, but the young man now identified as Jules stepped in and clarified things without even asking her what confused her in the first place.

"Sorry about that. Maud's been a bit on edge since she had a vision of danger," Jules explained to her, "It's one of the trade-offs with being a medium: when the mind's eyes see something wrong, it gets her tensed up for a good while."

"Now, it's not like nobody can do anything about it," their father told them, "For all we know, the child's missing father and my daughter's visions might be connected in some way."

"So, Pa, do you mind if we accompany the lady out of town?" Jules asked. "I promise I'll make sure Maud is nearby at all times, just in case she needs help navigating difficult places."

Their father thought about it for a moment before he gave his answer. "If you're going to be the escorts, you'll need to come prepared for the worst. Not everything in the wilds is friendly to humans, you see. Even I've had to deal with less inviting residents when I was your age, you know."

"But Pa, will you be able to manage on your own?" Maud asked in concern, "Ships can't go anywhere without the winds, and it's not so simple to tread the land."

"Oh, I'll manage somehow," he reassured her, "I'm not entirely helpless."

Seeing how nobody has come to their stall at the moment, Lenna watched with curiosity as the kind merchant bent down below the stall to pull out a chest and opened it to unearth thoroughly stashed supplies stored inside. To his son, he entrusted to him a short sword and satchel held by a belt. To his daughter, he gave to her a simple oaken staff and a belt with two satchels held together on one side. And then, when Lenna least expected it, he took out and handed to her a sheathed dagger with a satchel held on a belt.

"It's going to be dangerous out there, my dear child," he told her, "Please, take it, just to give this good soul some peace of mind."

"Are you sure?" Lenna asked him worriedly, "I'm just a stranger."

"I know we've only just met, but I promise you you'd be safer with them," he insisted politely, "My son is no slouch in defending himself, and Maud is not as helpless as people believe she is. Please, trust me on it just this once."

Though baffled at the merchant's trusting nature, Lenna just couldn't bring herself to refuse his request. Her father always told her she's most like her mother, always being altruistic to the needs of people other than herself. So, not wanting to disappoint the man, she carefully took the belt with the equipment and strapped it around her waist. Though she isn't the type of person who would use a weapon without good reason, she couldn't help but quietly remind herself that there is no harm in at least keeping something to protect herself, something she wished she'd thought of before she went out of the castle. But now is not the time to criticize herself for her carelessness. She has to put her trust in these two new people who have been offered as the help for her journey.

"So, then, just to make sure we know where we're going," Jules said as he readied his sword, "do you have a general idea where the Wind Shrine is?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello. Lilith here.**

**And I'm back on FF5 with another chapter on hand. We're bringing some of the party together, and preparing for hijinks they'll be getting themselves into.**

**Also, given the nature of FF5, I tried to put in a little bit of humor when I had the chance, however petty it may be, and one of my OCs is meant to be a bit of a goofball in some conversations.**

**And as a slight spoiler, next chapter I plan on giving introductions on the antagonist side of the spectrum. I mean, seriously, what's the harm in doing that? It'd be boring to have have a little more screen time for the bad guys, right?**

**Though, I really have to question why fanfics on this game are few and far between. That's a missed opportunity, if you ask me.**

**Anyway, without further ado, enjoy.**

**I own nothing of FF5 except my OCs.**

**Read, leave me a review, but flames will not be tolerated.**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Awkward Unions

As the morning light continued to rise, everything was as tranquil as it can be for Bartz and his feathery companion as the fire already fizzled down while the sky brightened to a beautiful blue with hardly a cloud in sight. But then, the serenity is abruptly disrupted when a roaring noise tore through the skies, startling the two as they jumped from the ground and looked up to see what's causing the noise. To their shock, they saw a giant meteorite blazing across the skies, trails of cloud and fire streaking around the enormous rock. However, there was something very strange about this one: the meteorite wasn't soaring straight as the meteor showers he'd glimpse in the night sky. No, this one appeared as though it's being directed by something to move in a different direction than normal.

Bartz and Boko watched the scene with wide eyes as the meteorite aimed its trajectory towards the mountains before vanishing from their line of sight. Despite this, they can still hear the bellowing roars across the sky until they heard the sound of rock violently scraping against the earth before everything died down.

"…What the heck was that?" Bartz questioned aloud.

"Kweh! Kweh!" Boko squawked anxiously.

"Yeah, you're right, Boko," he agreed as he gathered dirt to put out the fire, "We'd better go check it out."

Without hesitation, Bartz hopped aboard his feathery friend and both hastily raced across the landscape, following where the meteorite was last seen. The greatest thing about having a chocobo like Boko is that traversing across the wide stretches land is much easier than simply moving around on foot. There is no way he would be able to make the trek on his own. It would take days at best or weeks at worst for him. Besides, if something dangerous happens, someone has to be able to act accordingly.

As they neared the site of the crash, they were greeted by a very startling scene. Where they are, they can barely see the forest by the mountains has been violently torn asunder, the trees having been either completely obliterated without a trace or savagely ripped away from the ground, leaving shredded roots and holes where the trees had burrowed long ago. The earth itself has been horrendously scarred like a gash caused by a cleaver against skin, leaving crude dragging marks stretching all the way to the edge of two sides of the mountains. No trace of animals can be found within the area – not a chirp of the birds, not a cry of a beast, nothing to indicate the wilds are occupied. The meteor itself, however, is the biggest eyesore against the landscape because of not just the sheer size of the stone, but rather how much damage it caused on the land by itself.

As tempting as it would be for both to venture further, Bartz had a nagging suspicion it would be best to keep his feathery friend at a distance. Though it's quiet, it doesn't mean it's peaceful. For all he knows, there might be dangerous beasts or pesky little monsters lying in wait.

After dismounting, Bartz instructed his friend, "Boko, wait here, okay?"

"Kweh," Boko answered in acknowledgment.

Knowing his buddy will be alright for the moment; Bartz trekked on ahead through the wood alone, following the trail to the crash site. As he came closer to the site, he couldn't believe how much damage was actually inflicted by the meteorite.

_'Whoa, it's a lot worse than I thought,'_ he thought to himself.

Just as he is about to approach and get a closer look, he abruptly stopped himself when he heard the sound of pattering feet and high-pitched grunting noises coming near his position. He peered cautiously past the trees to spot two goblins dragging a young woman across the ground where the meteor scarred past. Where the woman came from and what the goblins are going to do with her, he didn't know and – to be honest – he didn't want to know. Unsheathing his short sword he always kept on his person at all times, he rushed out from the trees to help. Naturally, the goblins heard him coming and attempted to gang up on him…which doesn't go well because it's two dim-witted fodders against one human being. A stab in the chest on one goblin and a slash at the throat of the other goblin, and both went down without further issue.

He sighed in relief. "Good thing I learned how to use a sword from my father years ago, or it could've been a lot worse."

He then turned his attention to the young woman lying unconscious, checking to make sure she isn't harmed in any way. As far as Bartz is concerned, he has no idea where she came from or what she's doing here. However, he noticed right away that she's dressed quite nicely for a traveler…almost too nicely. Was she someone of high importance in a social circle, or just a well-off young lady who hasn't explored the world much?

Just when he is about to reach her head to check for injuries, the woman's eyes fluttered open as she came to her senses. She sat up, looking around in confusion as she struggled to piece together where she is and what happened.

"Hey, are you alright?" Bartz asked, offering a helping hand.

"Y-yes…I believe so," she replied shyly, taking his hand and hoisting herself to her feet. "I give you my thanks. My name is Lenna. And you are…?"

"Me? Call me Bartz," he answered casually, "Me and my chocobo just go wherever the trail leads us…"

"Bartz…" Lenna repeated, trying the name out. She looked toward the meteor. "This rock suddenly fell from the sky. The impact must've knocked me out."

He looked at the meteor, too. "Guess it's a meteorite."

"A meteorite… I wonder if it has a connection to the wind stopping?" she wondered. But then, horror crossed her face as she looked around her. "Oh, no! Jules and Maud, where are they? Are they hurt?"

Wait…! Those names struck a familiar chord to Bartz.

"You know them?" he asked, immediately curious. "They're here?"

"Yes. I met them earlier," Lenna replied quickly. "They offered to accompany me to the shrine. Did the meteorite knock them out, too?"

"Whaaat? C'mon, honey! Why would a rock do that to us?"

"Really, Jules? We were all knocked out, and you know it."

Right on cue, Bartz and Lenna turned around and saw two more individuals approaching their positions with two chocobos of their own in tow. In the case of Bartz, he quickly recognized them, and that brought a lot of mixed feelings out of him. How long has it been since he last saw them? Three years? They have changed quite a lot as far as he can see.

Right away, Jules spotted Bartz and jovially greeted, "Hey, look who's here! It's Bartz! How you doing, buddy?"

"Hanging in there, Jules," he replied sheepishly.

"Oh, c'mon, pal! Look in the mirror," Jules playfully retorted, "You've gotten taller than the last time I saw you. You were nearly my height, as I recall."

Well, Jules wasn't that far off about it. Bartz is several inches taller than the others with a slim frame yet a little muscle to not be lanky, with pale brown hair and gray eyes to go with his light ivory skin. He wore a tight, blue sleeveless shirt with gray pants and pointed gray boots bound by blue sashes; he also wore a golden spike on his left shoulder and a long light blue cape behind his back, and a belt holding his sword's sheath with his attire decorated in an assortment of strung beads from natural sources.

In Maud's case, she immediately approached Bartz and, feeling around him with her hands, examined him wherever she could reach.

"Calloused hands…specks of earth around hips…" Maud mumbled, "The scent of greens…for a chocobo." She shot her head up at him. "You've been out in the wilds all this time? Is that where you went after leaving Lix years ago, and without telling us why?"

Uh-oh…

Bartz looked to Jules, giving him a face begging for help on what to tell her. Unfortunately, his old friend could only give him a nervous purse of his lips and a shrug of his shoulders, not knowing what he can do to help.

"Uh…it's a long story, Maud," he replied awkwardly.

Her lips tightened hearing this. "Are you serious? You never told us you were going anywhere after your father passed on, not even a little note about your destination. You didn't even let us know whether or not you're safe!"

Unfortunately, poor Bartz had no idea how to explain himself to Maud after not having seen her or Jules in three years, more so considering where they're currently standing right now. All the while, a baffled Lenna couldn't help glancing between the pair before looking at Jules with a confused face that asked whether she was missing something in the conversation. The best he could do is giving an awkward smile at her.

"We'll explain later…" Jules whispered. He then shifted his attention to his sister. "Hey, Sis, we've got places to be, you know."

Maud sighed in defeat. "Fine…"

In all honesty, Bartz felt embarrassed and a little guilty for not being able to answer his whereabouts, more so since it's his old friends from childhood he's crossed paths with after not seeing them in three years.

Truthfully, he didn't figure one of them would be this upset about his unexpected departure years ago. Perhaps he should've thought about his neighbors and how they'd feel about his sudden disappearance before he left. But given what Maud figured out just from investigating him with her hands, it's safe to say that, judging from the anger in her voice, she didn't take the fact he had been wandering alone all that well. He didn't know how Jules took the matter, though. He should've asked him when he had the chance…

"So, shall we keep going?" Jules asked, jokingly giving her a polite bow.

"Yes, we should," Lenna replied. She turned back to Bartz. "Again, I give you my thanks. I wish I could do something more to show my appreciation, but we really must go…"

Lenna turned to start continuing on her way with Jules nudging their chocobo to follow along and Maud reluctantly trailing not far behind her brother, when a low moaning noise is faintly heard from somewhere within the crash site. Bartz caught this quickly and hurried to catch them before they left.

"Whoa – hey, hold up a sec!" Bartz called out hurriedly.

Quickly, she stopped and turned to see him run up to them just as she heard the faint moaning permeating the site.

"Everyone, did you hear something?" she asked, puzzled.

"What…?" Jules and Maud questioned at once.

"Huh?" Bartz also asked, equally perplexed.

_"Oohhh… Ughhh… Help…me…"_

As everyone looked around the place, searching for where the voice was coming from, Maud held out her staff and tapped the pointed end against the ground. As she did so, she let her hidden powers course through the staff and spread invisibly through the surface, forming a rough mental image of the land around her in search for the source of the voice. Right on cue, she heard the pained voice of someone reverberate someplace close to the meteorite, not far off from where they are. She couldn't quite tell who is there due to the distance, but she thinks there is someone here who needs help right away.

"We're not alone here," Maud warned the others. "I think someone's in trouble."

Jules went wide-eyed in shock upon hearing this. "Really? Where?"

Bartz took a few steps toward the meteorite and leaned a little ways, trying to confirm Maud's suspicions. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a human head and arm barely sticking out, twitching every few seconds, but couldn't see too much from where he is. However, it's more than enough to let him identify where the noises were coming from.

"Over there!" he called out, pointing at the source as he hurried over to investigate.

When the others looked where Bartz was pointing and saw what he spotted, they immediately followed him around the meteorite to find an older man sprawled on the ground, seemingly barely conscious. From what can be seen, he sustained various scrapes and an injury on his head from unknown causes and caught dirt on his clothes, probably from landing in the dirt hard enough to collect it, though it wasn't clear whether he had any serious wounds. It didn't take them long to hurry over and lend the unlucky stranger some help sitting upright.

The mysterious stranger, despite accounts of being at an old age, is a reasonably built man with white hair tied back in a short ponytail and light skin with brown eyes. He is dressed in black pants with a loose, ¾ sleeved black shirt decorated in golden ornaments, brown flat boots also decorated in golden ornaments, a red sash tied around his waist with his weapon in place and short red gloves to compliment the darker colors of his clothes.

Concerned, Lenna asked, "Are you alright?"

The old man groaned as he held his head. "Where am I…? Oh…my aching head!" He glanced around him, perplexed. "Sakes alive…what's happened? I can't remember…"

Jules scrutinized the injuries and worked on taking out medical supplies needed to take care of the wounds while the old man looked around, confused, trying to figure out where he is and what's going on.

"Well, for starters, you look like you got banged up," Jules answered first while applying bandages to the head, "and you were spotted beside a giant meteorite that crashed here. Don't you have a clue how you got there?"

The old man gave Jules a weird look. "Ehh…? I can't remember anything!"

Bartz rubbed his chin in thought. "Looks like you hit your head pretty bad… Maybe you got amnesia."

"Oh, no…" Maud sighed in dismay. "How will we know who he is if he can't even remember his name?"

The old man's eyes widened the instant he heard Maud lament aloud about not knowing a name. Suddenly, he began shaking rather excitedly, making Jules's work a little bit harder for the moment.

"Oh! Something came back to me…" he exclaimed, "My name is Galuf!"

Lenna smiled. "That's a start! Anything else?"

A sad frown crossed Galuf's face as he shook his head. "…Nope, just the name! Other than that, my memory's a blank slate…"

"Sucks to be you," Jules commented, finishing with the medical treatment.

"Very," Maud agreed in disappointment.

Lenna sighed sadly as she stood up and started to move. "I'm very sorry…but you must excuse me, I have no time to waste."

"Where you going?" Bartz asked.

"I must go to the Wind Shrine," she replied simply.

"Yup, and Maud and I are going with her, just in case," Jules added casually. "It was our father's idea, mostly."

A loud gasp from Galuf startled everyone, forcing everyone to turn their attention to him just to see him jittering anxiously for no good reason.

"The Wind Shrine!" he exclaimed, "Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure that's where I was headed!" Then, he got an idea. "It's decided, I'm going with you!"

Maud let out a flat "…What?"

"But…" Lenna started to protest.

Galuf, however, was having none of it. "I couldn't let such a sweet girl go by her lonesome, even with your choice of friends. Plus, I know I've gotta get to that shrine. I can feel it in my bones. You've gotta take me with!"

That was a…interesting experience, to say the least. For an old man who suffers from a severe case of amnesia and came from who knows where, he certainly doesn't give off the impression of someone pathetic. No, right at this moment, he's giving off the behavior of a man on a single-minded mission. Lenna found it impossible to say no to him, so she didn't voice any objections against him.

"Bartz, what about you?" she asked him.

He shook his head, declining her. "…Sorry, I'm gonna bow out of this one. Good luck, though."

Jules sighed. "What a bummer. I was kinda hoping you'd want to pay our father a visit. He'd love to see you again."

Maud didn't voice her thoughts, but her tightened lips gave away how she really felt in that moment.

Lenna was a bit disappointed about the decline, but she decided not to put pressure on him because it would've been disrespectful. She had a mission of her own, and she didn't want to give him more trouble.

"Bartz… Thank you again. Farewell," she said politely, turning to leave.

"Godspeed, and all that whatnot!" Galuf added jovially.

Since the newly introduced group is about to go their own ways, Bartz simply watched as Jules readied the chocobos for travel. First he generously helped Lenna climb aboard one and then proceeded to aid a befuddled Galuf on boarding the other chocobo. Afterward, he and Maud took their places as the drivers respectively, and goaded the big birds into starting their trek through the rest of the forest. When they started to vanish from sight, Bartz went back the way he came and reunited with his feathery buddy Boko.

"Sorry I took a while," he apologized, "Come on, Boko, let's go!"

Boko let out a questioning squawk. "Kweh, kweh?"

"Huh? Oh, you heard what was going on?" Bartz asked, and then chuckled a bit. "Yeah, believe it or not, I just saw Jules and Maud again. Can you believe that? It's nice to know Jules hasn't changed a bit. Anyway, they're traveling with a cute lady, and now they got a strange old man going with them."

"Kweh…?" Boko queried.

"Nah, I declined. I didn't want to waste their time," he replied. "Though…maybe I should've told Maud what I was doing all those three years. She was pretty upset."

He didn't want to dwell on the awkwardness of the event for too long. Bartz hopped onto his chocobo and started to coax him to move along.

Unbeknownst to him, however, he failed to notice that Boko had a knowing look in his big eyes, suspecting a lot more going on than his human partner is letting on. After leaving the meteorite crash site, they made their way through the same tract of land they came from before heading toward another trail on the other side of the mountains.

That's when Boko made his move. As soon as they reached the trail, the large bird abruptly stopped in his tracks, and with all his might, he flung his rider off his back and sent him careening against the rocks. Bartz didn't see it coming; it all happened so quickly, he didn't have time to attempt to stop himself from falling off, let alone being thrown off like unwanted cargo. He crashed against the rocky wall, causing some to chip off around him, and slid down to the ground on his rear.

Groaning in pain, Bartz rubbed himself as he struggled to stand up. Boy, did it hurt a lot. It could've been a lot worse, though. He looked up at Boko, a little bit miffed that he had to experience trouble with his own chocobo now of all days.

"Boko! Bad, bad chocobo!" he scolded angrily, "What are you doing, stopping like that!?"

His feathery friend stood his ground, not responding to him whatsoever while giving his human buddy a hard stare.

"…Now don't you give me that look," Bartz warned.

"Kweh! Kweh kweh!" Boko squawked, flapping his wings insistently.

That's when Bartz caught on to what the deal was: Boko must've heard a huge chunk of the conversation despite his location, and he actually wanted his friend to get involved with them because a) a young lady and an old man are on a mission concerning a shrine and b) Jules and Maud are involved in all this. Why didn't he realize that sooner, especially after having mentioned encountering his childhood friends? Perhaps his feathery fellow knew what he was doing, even though it did cause a little trouble at Bartz's expense.

He sighed in defeat. "…I know it's just a girl and an old man…and there's Jules and Maud… And with all those goblins around…Fine, I got it, I got it."

Boko nodded in approval, knowing he got his way.

But then, things took a turn for the worse when the ground suddenly began to tremble violently, startling the two. Rocks began breaking away from the walls and the ground above them crumbled apart, causing chunks of earth to collapse onto the trail below. At the same time, the sound of panicked screams and shouts can be heard from a distance despite the roaring quakes echoing around them. That's when it hit both of them: the group is in danger, and they're the only ones who can help them now!

"Boko, come on!" Bartz urged his buddy.

Boko nodded in agreement as Bartz hurriedly climbed aboard, and the both of them hastened ahead just as the ground split behind them. Along the way, the quaking grew worse and worse as many rocks crumbled into pieces and the edges of the cliffs threatened to fall apart and tumble on them at any given moment. Not helping matters is when they spotted a small team of goblins trying to exploit the dangerous environment just to get the jump on both bird and rider. But Bartz was not an idiot; as soon as one charged in close enough, he kicked it away followed by Boko making a leap of faith as rocks collapsed behind them, crushing the other goblins beneath them in the process. Two more goblins tried to pounce on him, but by that time, he already got his sword ready for them, and cut them down before the ground cracked under the pests' feet, trapping them below.

Sure enough, he arrived in time to find a horrifying scene. Jules is frantically trying to get his panicking chocobo under control as it squawked hysterically, while Maud struggled to drag herself away from a pile of rocks where only feathers and damaged satchels are found scattered about. Lenna and Galuf are both on the ground, seemingly unconscious, perhaps having fallen off the mounts in the middle of the chaos and hit their heads.

"Jules! I'm here to help, buddy!" Bartz called out as they neared the scene.

Jules shifted his attention to Bartz for a moment and called back, "It's hell here, man! We lost one of our chocobos in the landslide!"

"Just pick up Lenna and get her on your chocobo," Bartz ordered, "I'll go get Galuf and your sister, and we'll haul out of here!"

Jules didn't even bother to ask questions, not with what's happening around them. While he got to work retrieving Lenna as he was told to, Bartz got off of Boko long enough to pick up Maud and board her atop his steed before turning back to pick up Galuf and hauling him on. As soon as everyone is accounted for, both chocobos bolted further down the trail before more rocks and boulders came tumbling down and more of the earth starting cracking open.

* * *

"Ah, dammit… We lost half the supplies," Jules sighed in dismay after inspecting the damages. "The other chocobo had half of it, and it's lost under that rubble."

Bartz cringed, hearing the news. "Ouch, that's a shame."

"Yeah, we just arranged it this morning, rented the chocobos and all of that," Jules said, giving a dismayed pout. "We just wanted to be a little prepared when we're traveling to the Wind Shrine, you know."

Now it all made sense in Bartz's mind. Why else would Lenna have both Jules and Maud accompanying her to the Wind Shrine in the first place? He can only guess Dimitri played some part in allowing them to go together, though he's pretty sure Jules mainly went along because he thought Lenna's a beautiful lady and Maud followed along with it because she would be much safer with her brother. He couldn't believe he didn't figure it out sooner.

Maud shook her head grimly. "Something is not adding up. First, the wind goes silent, then there's that meteorite that came from who knows where, now this. There has to be something sinister behind these events…"

"Could be anything – coincidence, bad luck, somebody hates us, or someone loves us," Jules said jokingly.

A soft groaning interrupted their conversation, prompting the trio to turn their attention to Lenna, who just started regaining consciousness. Boko, having nestled close to keep an eye on the two, didn't waste time nudging her up like a parent coaxing a child to stand on their own. As she regained her footing, Jules hurried over to check on her and Bartz popped out from around the corner to see her.

"G'morning," Bartz greeted casually.

Her eyes lit up in joy and surprise. "Bartz! It seems I cannot escape being in your debt…"

"Hey, don't worry about it," he replied, looking back at the disastrous scene. "The shockwave from the meteorite's impact caused landslides. The road's covered in rubble. I don't think you're gonna be able to make it to Tule that way."

Jules winced. "Yeah…and we lost part of our supplies and a chocobo in the process. That means we don't have the resources to keep on going in the long run."

Lenna was horrified at the news. "But…if I can't get to the Wind Shrine, then…"

The cracked groaning coming from Galuf interrupted them, prompting them to shift their attention to the old man. Boko immediately starting squawking, alerting a sign of life, convincing Bartz, Jules and Maud to check up on the amnesiac stranger as he kept shifting in increments.

"Wind Shrine…gotta hurry…" he moaned.

Bartz scratched his head in disbelief. "The old guy's pretty dead set on getting there, too…"

"What gave you that idea?" Maud asked, unimpressed.

So, the wanderer came up with a bright idea. "All right. I'll go with you guys and personally see that you get there safely!"

Lenna's eyes brightened up hearing this. "Oh! Really?"

Jules was dumbstruck. "Did you hit your head in the landslide, buddy?"

"Of course not! You know, it was my dad's dying wish that I go out and travel the world," Bartz replied on both accounts. "Plus, this time, it feels like…like the wind is calling me."

"What a sweet-talker! As if you don't have the hots for the little missy," Galuf commented out loud.

Bartz jumped in surprise. "Wha -! You're awake?"

Galuf looked up at him, rolling his eyes. "Don't sound so surprised. This old dog is always ready for anything!"

"Oh, you actually were ready for a landslide?" Maud queried sarcastically.

"Did you even see the landslide?" he retorted, which earned him a smack upside the head from her staff. "Ow! Blimey, that hurt! Still, if the road is blocked, that makes things a sight more difficult…"

"Yeah…that's true. What're we gonna do to get anywhere?" Jules agreed, questioning what they should do.

It is a truly troubling dilemma for them. With one road out of commission, there aren't many other options to take to reach the destination. Most of them don't have the best knowledge on paths and shortcuts that can be taken across the countryside, and it's not like they can find shelter out in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't help matters that two of them most likely know next to nothing about the vast majority of the landscape.

But Lenna refused to let it get her down. "I won't give up. There must be a way to reach the Wind Shrine!"

"Right! And we'll find it!" Galuf agreed excitedly, jumping to his feet.

"All right! Let's ride!" Bartz seconded as he hurried over to collect Boko.

"Whoo-hoo! Now we're talking!" Jules cheered ecstatically.

Maud shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we can't stay here forever, so…"

Things got a bit busy as Jules didn't waste time making adjustments to the equipment saddled on his mount in order to better accommodate a couple more riders besides him. Bartz also followed along due to having traveled alone for several years, not wanting to have trouble with seating arrangements. This time, Jules had both Lenna and Galuf ride with him since he had a little more space aboard his mount to accommodate them. Bartz, on the other hand, helped Maud saddle up on Boko's back alongside him. Then, the newly formed party started riding down the trail ahead of them, hoping to find another route to their destination.

* * *

"I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean to get both of you into trouble."

Jules looked at Lenna, a bit surprised at the apology. "Huh? Nah, it's not your fault, hon. I mean, it's not like Maud and I expected a giant rock to crash near us or for a landslide to happen after that. Take it from me, even our father doesn't prepare for trouble to come his way while running his business. And besides, we volunteered to come with by our volition. What's there to apologize about, eh?"

"Oh, that's why you and your sister are out and about with the young lady?" Galuf inquired.

"Stepsister, actually, but still she's my sister," Jules corrected. "And yes, that's the reason we've been traveling with her."

Almost immediately after he mentioned his relation, he's unexpectedly greeted with baffled wide eyes from Lenna and a dumbstruck face from Galuf. _That got awkward really fast,_ he thought to himself. The only thing he could do is give them an awkward smile and nervously eye between both his passengers.

After a period of silence, Lenna finally spoke. "…Stepsister?"

Jules chuckled nervously. "Uhh…yeah, it's a really long story. I'll give you a start with this, though: I once had a stepmother when I was a kid, which was how I got Maud for a sister. Her name was Agnes."

A small 'hmm' slipped out of Galuf's mouth. "Agnes…? Now why does that sound familiar?"

"Really? Did you know her?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Galuf shook his head sadly. "That's another problem. I have no idea."

So much for that. The amnesia must be a lot more serious than they thought despite what little their older companion barely remembered at all. For Jules, that meant they won't be able to find out what on earth Galuf was doing near that meteorite anytime soon, or what his business is for that matter. It seems they'll have to play the waiting game until something new comes up from the old man.

* * *

"Are you mad at me, Maud?"

A glum sigh slipped out of Maud upon hearing Bartz's question. She didn't think he'd actually ask this after having not explained himself earlier. But what can she do?

"You disappeared from Lix three years ago, and you never told us why or where you were going," she replied, "Dimitri even thought you'd been kidnapped or something."

His eyes widened. "Really? He actually thought I was kidnapped?"

She frowned. "Of course he did! He even went so far as to hire helping hands that searched all over the countryside for you for an entire year. Ultimately, nothing of you could be found. Not helping matters is that we were forced to give up because Dimitri had obligations to maintain as a merchant. But still, none of us could get our minds off where you could've gone to…"

Wow.

Bartz was stunned to hear what happened in his absence. He never thought the Thorsons would go to what lengths they could just to find him after he'd left, let alone that he'd cause this much concern for his safety and well-being. Just the thought of what kind of distress Dimitri might've been in at the time of his secret departure made his heart sink a little bit. Maybe if they ever encountered him somewhere along the way to the shrine, he'll make sure to place apologizing to Dimitri for giving him a scare as his first priority. Hopefully he wouldn't hold it against him for leaving them without warning.

"Wow…uhh…I had no idea, Maud," he said nervously.

"You would know. It was hard enough losing Mum and Dorgann, but when you left…" Maud faltered, hanging her head sadly. "…It just…it's been too much to…"

An awkward silence quickly permeated between the two as they continued riding further down the trail. It gave Bartz a little something to think about, though. He understood how hard it's been since losing their respective loved ones to circumstances beyond their control, considering how he lost his parents at different points in his life. His departure to wander the world probably hurt just as much, if not worse.

"Kweh!"

Boko's call startled him back to reality as his feathery friend gestured in alert to a deep, large hole at the end of the trail.

Maud looked around, confused. "What is it?"

"Boko just saw something ahead," Bartz replied.

By the time Boko halted by the hole, Jules and the others caught up with them and are equally baffled to see the hole at the end of the trail. None of them saw any other possible trails by this point or any cavern routes, so where did this hole come from?

"I don't remember there being a cave here…" Lenna commented.

"Probably opened up during one of these quakes," Bartz speculated, looking the entrance up and down.

"No wonder we didn't see any other roads or shortcuts anywhere," Jules said in surprise.

Everyone dismounted their respective chocobos and inspected the newly formed cave. It certainly appeared to be big enough to be able to allow all of them inside at once, but something about it just didn't feel right. It's way too convenient for them to find an entrance out in the middle of nowhere. But what other options do they have at this point? It's a risk they're going to have to take if they want to get a move on.

"Well, we're not gonna get anywhere just standing here," Galuf piped up. "Let's go right in."

"Hold your horses, old timer," Jules stopped him, unlatching the supplies from his chocobo's saddle. "If we're gonna go in there, we gotta be ready. Plus, I don't think our birds will be able to survive whatever lives in those places."

Bartz quickly understood what it means, turning to his friend. "Boko, I think this is gonna be a little too dangerous for chocobos. You stay here, okay?"

"Kweh!" Boko squawked in agreement.

Once Jules gathered up his stash, he ordered his mount, "Alright, you'd better go back…"

The chocobo he had used didn't waste time retracing its steps back down the trail they came from, leaving the rest of the party on their own. With Boko also out of the question, that meant the rest of the journey will have to done on foot.

"Will there be any rough terrain when we get in there?" Maud inquired, fearing the worst.

"There might be, Sis. But that can be remedied easy-peasy," Jules reassured her, "We'll be right here just in case you need some help."

"Oh, please, it's only a cave. How hard can it be?" Galuf asked.

"Well, we'll each need to pull our own weight," Jules replied, giving a goofy smirk. "That means you, too, old man."

There was a momentary pause before Glauf let out a flat, "…What?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Lilith here!**

**And so sorry for not writing for so long. It's been months of madness because of something I'd rather not explicitly discuss here, and it's made motivation to write difficult to build up, let alone maintain. Hope you understand.**

**Anyway, here's the introduction to the antagonists of the story, one of which is someone of my own. Mind you, though, I took immense creative liberties to the flashback and the first meeting that occurred since, really, given Exdeath's modus operandi, you'd think that he'd still be capable of doing from pretty crazy s**t despite being imprisoned for decades. Still, it was a little fun writing it down.**

**Also, if this chapter feels a lot shorter than the last one, I'm sorry. I've been having some difficulties with the copy-paste situation lately. For some weird reason, I can't make my posts like I used to. When I had tried to do it, I'd get a result that looks like someone messed up an entire computer program. So...I had to paste as plain text and make my adjustments afterwards. I dunno why... :(**

**So anyway, without further ado, hope you enjoy this chapter all the same.**

**I own nothing of FF5 except my OCs.**

**Read, leave me a review, but flames will not be tolerated.**

* * *

Chapter 3 – Cyrilla

Deep inside a dimly lit chamber comprised of wood and other dubious materials, a woman sits alone, silent and focused as potent magical energy flowed through her. Her mind's eyes formed a mental picture of the destruction of the crystal supposedly kept securely inside a shrine far from the reaches of civilization. A smug smirk crossed her face as she watched the crystal break apart into many pieces just as a man in royal blue robes briskly turned to shield his face from the shards flying all around the room. It gave her tickled pink feelings just from seeing the horrors unfolding, and couldn't wait to see who else would experience the same thing.

When the visions faded away into oblivion, she opened her eyes back to the chamber she is settled in, not bothered by the dark atmosphere she surrounded herself in.

"Well, that turned out better than I thought," She giggled to herself, "The Wind Crystal is shattered. Just three more crystals to get out of the way… I wonder which one will fall apart next."

"Mwa-hahaha! That was too easy. To think the humans objectify such flimsy rocks only to trifle with them afterward."

The egotistical, loud and proud masculine voice boomed through the chamber as ashen humanoid talons simultaneously reached out from the shadows and seized the attention of the woman who was seemingly alone. She looked over her shoulder to behold the towering presence of a being of a far different caliber than herself, albeit thoroughly concealed within the shadows of solitude save for glimpses of blue and gold.

"You're right, my master. Human ignorance and hubris brought this upon them," the woman agreed with glee, "and they'll soon know the consequences. My visions have confirmed what you've anticipated all these years."

"Indeed, Cyrilla, your gift of sight has proven useful to me while I have been held imprisoned here. Without your oracular powers, I wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy the follies of men in this world. But you know as well as I do they won't be the only puny humans who will pay the price for the trouble they've made. You know what I speak of, don't you?"

A scowl crossed her face as she thought back to the past, back when she was powerless to circumstances beyond her control, back when she had nothing…

* * *

_20 years ago…_

_Tiredness and fear filled her every being as Cyrilla ran along the empty path of the open wilds under the cover of night. She had nothing in her possession except for the velvet red rags failing to hide the dirt caking her legs and a long stick grasped tightly in her hand. The scars across her right face stung from trickles of sweat and remnants of ash clung to the skin, making it difficult to keep focus on the unknown path ahead of her._

_The only thing that convinced her to keep running for her life is the faint sounds of people giving chase behind her, following her trail and on the hunt. She had to get away from them…she had to. But where else could she go? Her only chance to bypass her pursuers is to reach the Forest of Moore, the accursed forest that no foolhardy man would ever venture into. She could think of no other way to escape. If they catch wind of her flight into the forest, she dared not think about what would befall her upon her capture. She couldn't fight off the soldiers no matter what powers she has, for they had the advantage in numbers. Sooner than later, they will catch her and drag her back to that damn kingdom against her will. She'd rather take a risk encountering the foul creatures of the forest than being imprisoned in the dungeons._

_Just when she was about to collapse from exhaustion, Cyrilla stopped herself with the stick's support and looked up to find a thick, densely coated forest stretching for miles around, its inner workings concealed by the dark shades within. This is it – the Forest of Moore. This is the land where the worst of monsters have established their home and the most dangerous of evils were imprisoned to ensure their malice never endangered the world again, just like in the stories she used to hear from her parents. And now, she arrived at the site in person._

_She watched in bewilderment as the foliage and shrubbery parted like curtains from a stage performance just as the stick touched the greens of the forest, granting entrance to her. However, she had no chances to question this marvel as the voices drew closer, threatening to close in on her. Hoping to buy herself just a little more time to escape, she drew a breath and made one last bolt into the forest just as the foliage of branches and shrubs sealed up behind her and the voices of the pursuers drowned out…_

_She had no idea how long she ran through the forest. All she knew is that, for whatever reason, no malicious creatures that permeated the domain had emerged from hiding to pounce on her, even though she felt weak and tired by all means. It almost made things too easy for her. What could've made this possible?_

_Eventually, after having walked so deeply inside the dark woods, she found herself presented with a tree larger than the rest, outstretching all the other trees in the Forest of Moore. Just as the stories go, the tree itself is a grotesque monster in and of itself. Centuries of usage to imprison the worst of evils have gradually twisted the once beautiful tree into a malicious, malformed mockery of its former self; its roots dug deep into the ground, spreading out towards the rest of the forest and all around its trunk, and its branches spread all across the center, it's sickening greenery hiding away the skies above her._

_As she marveled at the sight of the epicenter of horror tales, a voice reached out to her…_

_"What's this? A little human, wandering the forest alone…"_

_Cyrilla jumped back a bit, startled by the deep voice brushing through the air. She looked around, but saw nobody._

_"Who…who is it?" she foolishly asked. "Who are you?"_

_"Mwa-hahaha! Do you really want to know?" the voice replied with a proud laugh. "Don't you know the tales? You are in the place where all evils are held imprisoned. Yet, you dared enter the Forest of Moore. Why?"_

_Was the monstrous voice mocking her, or was it testing her? She didn't know, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to answer it to the best of her ability._

_"I came here…because those bastards destroyed my clan's reputation," Cyrilla replied, her fear slowly dissipating, "and executed my family for treachery. My mother told me to run for my life, to retreat to the Forest of Moore. Those people are coming to seize me, and I have to get away from them. They and their damned king made my life a living hell, and I have nothing to fight back against them!"_

_There was a momentary silence. She almost regret spilling out her woes, venting her rage and despair out in the open. What would this thing, whatever it is, respond to her in turn? She had half a mind to speak again, to excuse her and keep moving deeper in the forest, when the voice returned and said something that would really catch her attention._

_"Ah…so you came here to escape persecution. Perhaps you and I share a common enemy much more closely than I thought," the voice said with intrigue. "I can help you escape your enemies, if you so desire. All I need to know is what you can offer me in turn."_

_Cyrilla's eyes widened upon hearing this proposition. Is she seriously being offered a way out of her situation? It felt too good to be true. But…did the voice also say it wanted to know what she has to offer in exchange. Personally, she didn't know what else to do, so she decided to hedge her bets and share her secrets, hoping she truly can be able to find safety elsewhere._

_"I have the gift of foresight, inherited in my family," she answered, "and powers nobody but mediums like myself can utilize. Is that enough?"_

_"…Hmm. A medium, you say? Perhaps you might be useful," the voice said, fascinated. "Very well, then. Come closer to the tree. I can give you a way out."_

_Curious and not knowing what else to do, she started to climb the roots of the tree, ignoring the fact her feet were sore and her body screamed for rest. As she did so, she could see a light emanating from somewhere between the roots. With all her strength, she heaved herself up to discover a mystical portal swirling in light and darkness deeply in between the gnarly wood; just big enough that more than one person can enter inside._

_Just before she could peer closer, her attention briefly diverted when she heard the faint sound of footsteps and overlapping voices somewhere deep in the forest. Oh, no, not again! How did they get through the entrance? She thought only she had a way in with the stick she was given to open the way. They shouldn't have been able to pass through._

_"Hmph, so they managed to get through the forest entrance. All the more reason not to stay, wouldn't you agree?" the voice commented sarcastically._

_Cyrilla turned back to the portal, back to the approaching voices, and back to the portal._

_"Do you dare enter? Once you pass through, none of those fools will follow," the voice goaded her on._

_There was no doubt in her mind. She wanted to get away from them? This is her only chance. She'd rather face whatever it is that beckoned her than have to face those people again._

_"I dare it," she answered._

_Without hesitation, she jumped right into the portal._

_It was a strangely thrilling experience, like entering into a rabbit hole into a whole different world, except this one presented to her tears leading into unknown dimensional rifts impossible for her to view through. Down she went as she saw many strange things, most awe-striking while others were disturbing, drinking up the secrets that came and went around her view. Voices echoed and whispered around her, incomprehensible to the naked ear as the unseen speakers overlapped one another with nothing spoken clearly to anyone in particular._

_However, the venture into the rabbit hole had to reach its conclusion._

_When the descent slowed down to a crawl, Cyrilla passed through to the other side, and found herself settled in the middle of a large chamber covered in gnarled wooden branches and large rocks with giant mirrors surrounding her on all four sides. There appeared to be no way in or out of the room, and nothing of the outside could be seen, not even on the ceiling. It was nearly completely dim inside, save for the faint glow emanating from the crystals floating around in the corners. She could feel an overwhelming presence watching her every move…but where is it coming from? It's nearly as potent as the voice that reached out to her the moment she was almost about to be cornered by her persecutors, but she didn't know who – or what – it was, or where it was._

_Slowly, she stepped around the chamber, looking around brimming with curiosity when she spotted something strange in the reflection. She quickly turned around to find a pedestal that wasn't there before with a wooden chest settled on top of it. Curiosity overruling her better judgment, her eyes fixed on the mysterious sight, intrigued as to the enigma of the thing presenting itself to her. With utmost fascination, she opened the chest to discover inside four small crystals of four beautiful colors – red, blue, green and brown – radiating with incredible power unfamiliar to her. However…as she used her magic to pick up the crystals and gaze upon their features, she couldn't shake off the underlying feeling of contempt for these rocks in the palm of her hands, an urge to crush these little stones like glass between her fingers._

_Cyrilla didn't have to do that, though, because not long after picking up the crystals and toying with them, she watched in amazement as the stones shattered into many tiny pieces before her eyes. Could it mean something, or is there something else…?_

_Before she could discern the meaning of the anomaly, a spine-tingling feeling crawled down her shoulders as she felt something similar to a breeze touching her skin. Startled, Cyrilla looked around before she stopped to behold a silhouetted apparition of a woman frolicking around from behind the looking-glass without a care. Immediately, she felt an inescapable urge to chase after the shadow, eager to find out what it is that pulls her closer to this force that brought her here in the first place._

_Like an ignorant child throwing caution to the wind, she chased and followed the apparition around the room in a madness-driven dance no sane person would ever partake of, gallivanting in free spirit, unbound by the conformities of the world she used to know before society turned her future upside-down. She had no control over her impulses, her urges to reach deeper into the mysteries of this new world she entered, to finally move the curtains away from whatever it is that appealed to her and see with her own eyes what lured her here to begin with._

_Her view of the surroundings gradually began to blur as she finally ceased her frenzied waltz, her arms outstretched towards the glass as she leaned against the mirror. Then, almost as if in answer to her unspoken invitation, the apparition suddenly stretched its arms out and emerged from beyond the looking-glass, seizing hold of the broken woman in a crushing embrace and pulling her in toward the other side. The fact she is being taken into the mirror with no knowing where she's going didn't bother her; she didn't care what would happen to her. If anything, she wanted to see what else is waiting for her._

_Then, the moment she passed through the glass, everything momentarily went black…_

_When she regained her senses, Cyrilla felt herself being ejected out of the looking-glass and entering into another location unfamiliar to her. Her eyes drifted around to find herself in the middle of a dark cavern dimly lit by crystals barely revealed from the rocks, surrounded by wooden roots spreading throughout a long, wide cavern which part of it from afar was obscured by darkness while the rest around her was somewhat polished to the point where she could've sworn she saw the same mysterious colorations of the portals she had seen when she first escaped through one._

_The next thing that registered into her mind is that something about her has drastically changed from earlier. In her reflection, Cyrilla caught a glimpse of her transformation, which almost made her unrecognizable. Gone is the flimsy rags stained with dirt and mud, the same substances ceasing to cling to her skin, and her hair no longer reaching far past her shoulders. Instead, her hair drastically shortened to a clean bob-cut, and her skin finally revealed pale light skin complimented by red eyes. She is garbed in a majestic high-collared, plunge-cut gray dress with no sleeves with long black gloves reaching past her elbows and black heeled sandals; on her head sat a silver circlet complimented by bracelets around her wrists also made of silver, and around her waist laid a gold girdle, all of them bedecked in precious jewels that glimmered in the dim lighting. However, the scars on her face remained, merely a reminder of her horrors and what she escaped from._

_"Quite impressive, isn't it, Cyrilla?"_

_Startled, Cyrilla jumped back a bit and looked around the dim cavern before she caught a glimpse of someone behind her in the reflection, prompting her to turn around to find herself facing a tall armored being seated atop a gnarled wooden throne nearby._

_The enigmatic stranger is a colossal thing, likely seven feet tall, towering over her in sky blue armor with spiked shoulders decorated in jewels, gold linings and beads, the face completely concealed by a horned helmet topped with a two-ended plume and a very thin opening where the eyes could see through (if the eyes can be seen at all), and a long blue cloak reaching about where his feet would be. What little humanoid skin could be seen on the entity is a deathly ash grey with black pointed nails protruding from the fingertips; everything else to distinguish this enigma remains unseen._

_The stranger let out a boisterous laugh. "Mwa-hahaha! Surprised, aren't you, that I know your name? You'd be more surprised to hear that I know of your kind. But then again, you're no stranger hearing about me either, are you?"_

_Yes…he was right. She had heard of him before, years ago, when she was a child. She had heard of the stories of the monster that emerged from the Forest of Moore, unleashing the awesome and terrible power he possessed accumulated from countless malevolent entities that were bound into the Tree itself. Her family and her clan had spoken about it for years before receiving visions of the thing itself. It all felt so long ago, and yet she couldn't help letting it slip out from her tongue…_

_"You…I've seen you before, in my visions. You're the creature that came from the Tree," she gasped in both shock and awe, "that flooded the lands with evil before disappearing to another world. You're…you're Exdeath!"_

_Exdeath laughed at this. "Correct, you are. Perhaps I should feel flattered you heard of me."_

_"Then…why the generosity you bestowed to me?" Cyrilla questioned him. "Me, who lost everything with nothing left to me but my gift of foresight and my heritage? What purpose would I serve to you?"_

_"Did the vision of the crystals tell you anything?" he asked back at her._

_She stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, and took a moment to ponder it. The crystals…? The visions…? Wait a minute! The crystals in the chest she saw before the apparition in the mirrors changed her looks! Yes, she saw them. She saw how they shattered in her hands without even touching them. Was she seeing a vision of the ruination of the crystals? Was it a sign of intentions against them?_

_"…Those crystals are connected to you, aren't they?" she deduced._

_"Correct. That's why I invited you here. With your talents, you can help me find a way to break free from my prison," Exdeath replied proudly. "In return, you'll have all the help you need to seek revenge on those who wronged you. Perhaps, if I'm at all generous, I might see you rewarded for your reliability."_

_Ah…so that's why she was allowed a chance to escape from her persecutors the moment she was spoken to! He set her up, but not in a way most would expect. He expressed an interest in her powers, and used that to convince her to his cause. Why else would he question her the moment she came into contact with the Tree? Why else did he easily goad her into coming through the portal? Why else would she be here, face-to-face with the very creature she should be afraid of or repulsed by but wasn't, and be promised an enticing exchange she couldn't say 'no' to since he's already had her figured out?_

_"I see where this is going…" Cyrilla chuckled to herself. "Ah, well…it's not like I have a home to return to anyway." She looked up at the tall entity. "Alright, Exdeath. I'll take you up on your offer."_

_"Mwa-hahaha! I knew you'd see things my way," Exdeath responded, pleased at her acceptance._

* * *

Cyrilla scoffed as she lightly shook her head, ending her reminisce. "It's been years since our meeting, but with my foresight, we've found an exploitable weakness. We'll make good progress so long as mistakes are made by the morons outside."

"Good, good. They won't even know the consequences until it's too late," Exdeath agreed, gloating in the stupidity of the people outside.

But then, without warning, Cyrilla started to experience excruciating pain in her head. Why now? She thought she already had her fill of the visions, showing her the destruction of the Wind Crystal.

Apparently not.

"Another vision, now?" she groaned in frustration.

She sighed in exasperation as she shut her eyelids tightly as she focused on allowing the mind's eye to show her the coming vision. As her mind cleared up, the images became clearer for her to see – and she didn't like what she's seeing at all.

In her vision, Cyrilla saw a group of people…four…no…five people walking through a wide clearing of bizarre geography. They follow a long road paved in salt water, machines fueled by fire, and stones of unknown origin. A ship sails across the water, but flying no sails. How can that be? The crystal that controls the winds is gone! She couldn't see who is operating the ship, though. And those people traveling together…she's sure she doesn't know them, but something about two of them gave her strange feelings – not positive feelings, though. The mere sight of them makes her blood boil.

An angry growl slipped from her mouth. "My master, I've just received another vision. There are unknown strangers traveling the land. Water, earth and fire are still active, but only just. What the strangers seek, I cannot see."

"Is that so?" Exdeath inquired, intrigued.

"And two of those people…something about them makes me angry," she added, still seething in anger, "like I want to kill them with my own hands!"

"Mwa-hahaha! What can petty little humans do to stop me?" the entity boasted. "They don't even know what they're doing in the world. Everything will fall into place. Not even they can stop us. We'll have ways to teach them a lesson, if need be."

Ah, yes, that's right! Exdeath isn't an idiot about potential hindrances. He didn't waste all those years doing nothing but build his desire to break out, now did he? No, he has ways to handle his problems. He made sure to acquire every help he can get everywhere he knew, primarily consisting of the most dangerous of monsters and minions available. If anyone's going to be trouble, they'll be taken care of straight away.

Realizing this, Cyrilla couldn't help grinning and clapping her hands excitedly at the idea of what trouble the unsuspecting travelers will be given. Perhaps they won't be such a problem for them in the long run after all. Exdeath is right: what can a bunch of simple-minded wanderers do to mess things up? They know nothing about what's going on, just like everyone else in the world. What was she worrying about in the first place?

She laughed at herself for making a big deal out of something so petty. "Of course! You're right! They know nothing. They can't do anything to impede our progress. Why on earth did I fret about them to begin with?"

"There, now you understand," Exdeath told her proudly.

Though, there is something else that pricked in Cyrilla's mind. That man in the blue clothes, who witnessed the Wind Crystal's destruction firsthand… Who was he supposed to be? She didn't give much thought to his identity, but the fact he saw something like that leaves an issue that can't be ignored.

"What about that blue man, though?" she asked, "He witnessed the fate of the Wind Crystal in person. What if he uses that knowledge to warn others like him? It might even reach those wanderers."

"Let me worry about him," Exdeath answered her. "We don't need any interference from that man."

She smiled with glee. "Of course, Exdeath. Only you would know how to handle the lesser nuisances."


End file.
